Estonia handed over to the United States an Estonian citizen accused of illegally supplying strategic goods to Russian defense enterprises and government agencies, according to ERR.

Estonian police and border service transferred Estonian citizen Andrey Shevlyakov to the US on 28 August 2025, who faces charges of illegally transporting strategic goods from the US to Russia using complex supply chains and networks of shell companies.

The US has charged Shevlyakov with 18 counts related to acquiring and supplying US electronics to Russia in violation of sanctions. The charges stem from his alleged role in helping Russian government and military entities procure American-made electronics through deceptive practices.

Shevlyakov was added to the Entity List in 2012, after the US government identified him as a procurement agent charged with pursuing US technology for Russian government and military end users. The designation prohibited him from exporting any goods from the US without proper licensing.

According to the report, Shevlyakov was detained in March 2023 in a joint operation by the FBI and Estonia’s Constitutional Protection Service. He remained under electronic surveillance from May 2024 until his extradition. Legal proceedings against Shevlyakov are ongoing in the United States.

Authorities allege Shevlyakov used false names and a web of front companies to evade Entity List restrictions, misleading suppliers and circumventing federal Department of Commerce restrictions and US export controls. The scheme allegedly involved travel between Russia, Estonia and Finland to make deliveries.

When apprehended in Estonia, authorities found inbound shipments that included about 130 kilograms of radio equipment, demonstrating the scale of the alleged operation.

The extradition represents part of Estonia’s broader security efforts. In late May, Estonia expelled and transferred to Ukrainian authorities a Ukrainian citizen who maintained contacts with the Russian FSB. In July, Estonian internal security services expelled a Russian citizen who potentially posed a security threat to the country.

The US Treasury Department has extended through September 2026 its authorization for importing certain Russian diamonds, according to a statement from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The license permits operations involving the import of specific Russian diamonds, provided they are physically located outside Russia. Under the renewed authorization, the United States allows imports of diamonds weighing 1 carat or more if they were not exported from Russia before 1 March 2024, and diamonds weighing 0.5 carats or more if they were not exported from Russia before 1 September 2024.

However, the import of non-industrial diamonds of Russian origin to the United States remains prohibited, OFAC reports.

The authorization comes nearly two years after G7 countries announced in early December 2023 a phased ban on Russian diamond imports. The group indicated that further restrictions would target Russian diamonds processed in third countries.

The European Union implemented its 12th sanctions package in December 2023, imposing a ban on direct or indirect import, purchase, or transportation of diamonds from Russia. The United States announced its own prohibition on importing Russian-origin diamonds in February 2024.

The Treasury’s General License No. 104A, effective 27 August 2025, specifies that authorized transactions must be “ordinarily incident and necessary to the importation and entry into the United States, including importation for admission into a foreign trade zone.” The license explicitly states it “does not authorize any transactions otherwise prohibited by the Russian Harmful Foreign Activities Sanctions Regulations.”

The document notes that compliance with “any other Federal laws or requirements of other Federal agencies” remains mandatory despite the general license authorization.

A powerful windstorm destroyed the Ukrainian art installation “Black Cloud” at the annual Burning Man festival in the United States, just hours after its completion.

The 7-ton, 30-meter-long structure, designed as a visualization of the threat of a coming world war, stood for less than a day.

“Today was the first and last day of ‘Black Cloud,'” wrote the installation’s producer and volunteer Vitaliy Deynega on social media.

The Ukrainian team spent the entire night assembling the installation. After 11 hours of work, they completed the structure and began receiving initial reactions, which Deynega described as “more than inspiring.”

“I was confident in the success of this work from the very beginning. And I wasn’t wrong: people came from all corners of the desert to see one of the largest and strangest objects that grew overnight,” Deynega said. “The installation definitely didn’t leave anyone indifferent. This was supposed to be a success no less than our last year’s work – I’m Fine. But then came the apocalypse.”

According to Deynega, a sudden powerful wind arose after 5:30 PM the same day, completely destroying the installation. Despite calculations showing the structure should have withstood such weather conditions, the storm proved too powerful.

“Despite the fact that on paper and according to calculations it should have withstood even such a storm, it turned out differently. It held the wind for the first 15 minutes, and then it was torn in the middle, the storm flew inside and destroyed it completely,” the producer explained.

Deynega drew parallels between the installation’s destruction and his personal experience of war, stating: “The last time I had such a feeling was exactly three and a half years ago, when I woke up to the first explosions and sirens and realized that external circumstances of insurmountable force decided to make adjustments to life.”

The installation was scheduled to remain at the festival for nine days. The destruction also affected planned European tour dates, with locations and dates already confirmed, according to the producer.

The “Black Cloud” installation was first presented in Kyiv at the square near St. Sophia’s Cathedral. Ukrainian artist Oleksiy Say created the construction, which weighed seven tons and measured 30 meters in length.

In comments to Ukrainska Pravda Culture project creators explained that the installation aimed to communicate with the outside world about the coming world war, which the artist believes has already begun.

“Unfortunately, I am convinced: war in the world will only grow. There are many reasons for this – from unresolved global problems to the latest technologies that every country seeks to use to solve its own long-standing ambitions,” Deynega said. “And if, or rather when, a new wave of wars begins – Black Cloud can become a cult work that is ahead of its time.”